HARTFORD — When Wolf Pack defenseman Tommy Hughes carried the puck into the Providence zone early in overtime Friday night, he planned to do what he almost always does in such a situation.

"I was going to dump it in," Hughes said. "And I saw a little avenue to the net."

Hughes, coming down the right, curled toward the net, sealed off a defenseman and found a way to force the puck into the net — basically in the same stubborn way the Wolf Pack found a way to stay in this Eastern Conference quarterfinal series and Friday's decisive Game 5.

Hughes scored 4:35 into overtime, knocking in his own rebound after directing the puck on net, to give the Wolf Pack a 3-2 victory before a crowd of 5,486 at the XL center. The opponent for a conference semifinal will be determined this weekend. Some of the Wolf Pack's home games might have to be moved because the circus is scheduled for the XL Center.

"It's definitely the biggest goal I've ever scored," said Hughes, who had one goal and six assists in 42 regular season games. "They don't come too easily these days, being a defensive defenseman, but any way I can chip in, I'm happy."

Chris Mueller scored the other two Wolf Pack goals, including one to tie it with 46 seconds remaining in regulation. After killing a late penalty, the Wolf Pack went on the power play and pulled goalie Yann Danis in the final minute to create a 6-on-4 situation.

Oscar Lindberg, who assisted all three Hartford goals, carried the puck near the right wall and zipped a cross-ice pass to Mueller for a one-timer to make it 2-2.

"I put everything I had into it and, fortunately, it was in the back of the net," Mueller said. "Sometimes you get a goal like that and you deflate the other team. We didn't want to sit [in overtime]. We wanted to bring it to them."

The Wolf Pack did — with the unlikeliest of players ending the series.

A celebration ensued — Mueller joked that the funniest part was that Hughes didn't quite know how to celebrate a goal — as the Wolf Pack emerged from a tight, stressful series.

The Wolf Pack fell behind with a triple-overtime loss Sunday in Game 3 but responded two days later while facing elimination with a 2-1 victory in Game 4, the third consecutive game in this series to end with that score, to set up Friday's showdown.

"We lose the overtime heartbreaker, come back a couple days later and didn't miss a beat," Gernander said. "Guys found a way to get it done. A lot of resolve. It was a fun series to be a part of."

Providence took a 1-0 lead on a fluky goal 7:55 into the second period, with Colin Stuart flinging the puck on net from the right boards. Wolf Pack goalie Yann Danis, otherwise stellar in making 38 saves, stopped it but had it trickle off his leg and into the goal at the near post. Mueller tied it later in the second on a power play goal, with about a minute left in a double-minor. It was a put-back of a spin move by Lindberg.

The Pack entered the game 1-for-15 on the power play in the series. They were 2-for-5 Friday.

"Finally cashed in," Mueller said. "It's been a struggle."

With 12:24 left in the third, Tommy Cross, a Simsbury native, ripped a shot from the top of the left circle over Danis' shoulder, giving Providence the lead. The Wolf Pack were desperate in the final minute but Lindberg showed great patience in his pass to Mueller, whose shot was a rocket high into an open net that goalie Jeremy Smith (39 saves) couldn't slide over to cover.

Then, shortly after another intermission, Hughes skated down the right and ended it.

"He jokes that he used to be a forward when he was a kid and scored 32 goals," Mueller said. "I guess this was the one shift where it showed."

Said Danis: "If you asked me who would score, he's not the first name I would come up with. But I'm happy for him. He works hard every game. He blocks shots. He's a big body, hits guys. He does his job very well. I'm really happy for him."